Improvement in fire-escapes



HENRY BURROl/VS, OF GEORGETOWN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT PATENT OFFICE.

,TO 'WM; 11. GODEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT on COLUMBIA.

. IMPROVEMENT IN F-lRE-ESCAPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.'l9S,92S dated JanuaryS, 1878'; application filed May 22, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BURRows, of Georgetown, in the county of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes and the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a front view of a high building, showing my device for attaching and method of operating the fire-escape. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, showing the block and tackle attached above the cornice, to operate on and from the top of the build- 1n g.

The object and nature of my invention are to provide a more simple, safe, and expeditious means of liberating persons from the upper stories of burning buildings when escape can only be efl'ected through the windows, which are too high to make the attempt with safety by any ordinary means.

My invention consists in the construction of the car or: crate, provided with a spring leaf or apronfon one side, to guide and enable the crate to pass easily over the door or window caps or other projections on a building, either in being raised or lowered, the said apron closing up the space between the edge of the crate and the side of the building when persons are escaping through the windows into the" crate; also, in providing means for protecting the block and tackle and wire rope from injury by incasing them in a slotted tube securedito the building for the purpose.

To enable others to make and use my-invention, I will describe it more in detail, referring to the drawings and the letters marked thereon.

At any suitable place above or below the cornice I secure eyebolts B B at any desired distance apart. To the rings a a are hitched a block and tackle, b I), provided with wire ropes G C, so that they will not be severed by coming in contact with the flame. There may be one or more of these blocks and tackles attached, and kept suspended, ready for use at any time on a moments notice, the rope G being incased in a slotted tube, 1 secured vertically to .the building for the purpose, so that it can be instantlypulled out through the slot (1, and the crate or car E hitchedonto the hooks e 6, when it is in readiness to be elevated to any story of the building.

The car or crate E may be made of sheet metal, in strips, open work, or otherwise, or of woven-wire work, so as to be light and strong, and easily attached when wanted, and as easily detached and kept in some convenient place when not required. The crate may be made of any size desired, and operated by one or more tackle-blocks attached to it, so that the attic windows or off the roof, or carry up firemen with hose to play upon any desired portion of the building, or those near it, and thereby prevent the fire from being spread and extended on the roof or in the attic story, which has been so common, and caused so much destruction of property in consequence of not being able to reach it.

The block and tackle are always in a position where they can be got at in a moment when a fire is discovered in-a building, and the car or crate hitched to it or them and elevated dows on the side of the building in one min men could erect a ladder to a third-story window, if they were on the ground at the first moment the fire wasdiscovered; and, again, if escape should be cut off and impossible at any one room or window, it can be instantly changed to another, whether there are already any persons in the crate or not. Infants and children can be hastily thrust into the crate with safety who could not be rescued otherwise than to be carried in the arms down a ladder, and timid women, who, intheir fright, would stand ten chances of falling from a ladder to one of descending in safety, would have no fear of falling from or getting into the car orcrate, as each escapewillbe provided with an apron, to rest on the window-sill, to close up the space between the car and the building, the apron h being made to yield either up or easily over the window-caps or other projections on the building, the crates being hung on bails so high above the center of gravity that they cannot upset to empty their contents the crate can be elevated to take persons from i to any story, and placed before any of the winute, or in less time than the most expert firedown, so as to guide the crate and pass it before reaching the ground; and, furthermore, should there be no persons in the burning building to be rescued, and valuables be in rooms not yet reached by the flames, the firemen can be elevated to such rooms, and gather up into the crate and save large amounts of property which could not be reached other wise; and, also, the firemen can be taken up with hose to play into any window, or to the 'top of the building, or on adjacent buildings,

leaf or apron, h, to guide and enable the crate to pass easily over the door and window caps or other projections on a building when being either raised or lowered, substantially in the Eaanner as and for the purposes herein speci- 2. The slotted tubes D D, secured vertically to the building, for incasing the pulley-blocks,

and wire ropes C O, to protect them while not in use, but hold them in position for instant use, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my nameto the above specification for improvement in fire-escapes in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BURROWS.

Witnesses J. B. WOODRUFF, E. YOUNGS. 

